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London Fire Service – Kitchen Extracts – The Importance of extractor fans in kitchens

Whether you are an accomplished chef or just a novice cook, having an extractor fan in your kitchen is vital for not just your comfort, but your safety too.

There are lots of different types of extractor fans and system on the market, but going without in your kitchen simply shouldn’t be an option.

Here’s a look at extractor fans in the kitchen and just why they are so important.

The London Fire Service recommends extractor fans in kitchens for fire prevention

What do extractor fans do?

In order to understand just why they are so integral to the safety and function of any kitchen, it’s important to comprehend exactly what an extractor fan does.

An extractor fan is responsible for removing a whole host of unwanted elements from the air in the kitchen and transporting them away, typically allowing the air to escape through vents to the outside. Steam, smoke, air and odours can all be transported through the ventilation system, along with tiny particles or pollutants.

This extraction process prevents kitchens from becoming filled with smoke and steam, making it impossible to see, as well as reducing the overall humidity.

Temperature

The heat in a kitchen can be unbearable at times, particularly during the summer months when it’s also warm outside.

A kitchen which is too hot runs the risk of being unusable, or individuals fainting from the sheer heat. An extractor fan can help to manage this by providing suitable ventilation to the room and getting rid of hot air, excess smoke and steam.

The process of removing the steam and heated air and the circulation of cooler incoming air can help to reduce the temperature within a kitchen.

Pollutants

In kitchens, more so than any other room, there can be a lot of debris in the air. This comes from the act of cooking where tiny particles rise up and circulate along with grease and residues found in the smoke and steam.

This can not only leave your kitchen surfaces and walls feeling greasy and dirty to the touch, it can be unhygienic too. Although you will still have to clean your kitchens, an extractor fan can help to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air.

If not removed, unseen pollutants could even interfere with the workings of other appliances in your kitchen, creating a fire hazard, so for this reason an extractor fire is often viewed as a fire prevention device too.

Fire

As seen above, extractor fans can be an integral step in helping to prevent fires from breaking out in the kitchen, removing pollutants from the environment.

Extractor fans are essential to cool kitchens down

Extractor hoods can also be very useful as they help to cool the area, reducing the likelihood of fires even further.

Full ventilation systems contain components known as fire dampers which form barriers and prevent any fires which form in the ducts from reaching the vents. For larger premises this is an extremely valuable method of fire safety which shouldn’t be underestimated.

Whatever the size of the kitchen, the extractor fan does a very efficient job of removing steam and grease, two elements which can cause overheating and result in fires even in a modestly-sized room.

Conclusion

Extractor fans are useful for removing unwanted odours from kitchens and preventing them from constantly wafting around the home. However, they do so much more too. Extractor fans and their associated accessories are important in helping to prevent fires in the kitchen as well as removing unwanted pollutants such as smoke and steam. Every kitchen should have an extractor fan and also ensure that it is cleaned regularly in order to keep it working properly too.